cooking time
an hour or two, depending on your sewing and stuffing skills

finished size
approximately 17″ across by 9″ tall

i’m going to assume you can sew relatively well, and that you know common sewing terminology and whatnot.

first off, grab the pattern for the top/side piece. enlarge to the measurements written on the pattern (should be 200%). cut six of these from your fabric.*

for the bottom pattern piece, draw a circle with a 17″ diameter. cut one of these from your fabric.*

* if you’re using lighter-weight or loosely-woven fabric for your pouf, i suggest that you add fusible interfacing to the back of your fabric. heavy-weight or upholstery fabrics shouldn’t need the interfacing.

time to start sewing!

pair up your top pieces and sew each pair together.

sew the remaining seams like the first three, but be sure to leave an opening in one of the edges.

the opening should be in the side portion of the piece, and it should be big enough for your hand to fit through it. this is going to be the opening through which you place the stuffing.

clip the curves, and press the seams open. a tailor’s ham will help with pressing the curves open.

fold your fabric circle in half, then into thirds. mark the half/third edges.

pin the marked parts of the circle to the seams of the top/side piece.

sew the top to the circle, all the way around.

clip the circle or finish with a serger.

turn right side out and stuff it. stuff it and stuff it and stuff it, handful by handful, making sure each curve is filled. really, stuff the hell out of it. when you think it’s stuffed enough, pin the opening and try it out. chances are you may need to keep stuffing it.

once it’s truly completely stuffed, sew the opening closed using whatever stitch works for you. i used a ladder stitch so the stitches would be invisible.